The Ace of Wands as Intentions: To Start Something, Now

Written by Chaya the Medium.

The Ace of Wands as intentions is a plan to light the match. Here is what I would read in it, upright and reversed, and what the match does not promise.

If you want the short answer, I would read the Ace of Wands as intentions that are energetic and immediate. In an intentions position the card suggests the person means to act on their attraction or their idea right now: to make a move, to start something, to see if it catches. The intention is sincere and fast. What they intend once the spark is lit is not yet decided.

This is the hand holding the sprouting staff. It intends to begin. Beginning is the whole plan so far.

The Ace of Wands upright as intentions

Tina Gong's the Ace of Wands guide at Labyrinthos associates the upright card with inspiration, new initiative, creative spark and passion. When the card lands in a position that asks what someone intends toward you, I read those meanings as the shape of their plan rather than as a promise about what they will do. Feelings and intentions are different questions; the Ace of Wands as feelings covers the first, and this page covers the second. The general card meanings at Biddy Tarot are a useful second reference.

Upright, I read the Ace of Wands as a person who intends to initiate: to message, to ask, to suggest, to make the first bold step. They are not strategising. They are igniting, and they expect the fire to work out its own shape.

What I would not read into it is a plan for the long run. The Ace intends the spark. Keeping a fire going is a different card and a different kind of intention.

What the card does not tell you

The card does not confirm the person's intention is more than physical, that they will act on it in a way that lasts, or that the spark is aimed only at you. No card lets a reader see another person's plans. What a card can do is describe the kind of intention that fits the person's behaviour, and give you something to check against what they actually do.

The Ace of Wands reversed as intentions

Reversed, the Ace of Wands as intentions describes a spark that will not catch: a person who means to start something and keeps not starting, or whose intention toward you flared and went out. It can also describe frustrated desire, a plan with no outlet.

In your own question, ask whether the person's interest flared and faded, or whether they seem to want to act and cannot find a way to. A reversed card as intentions is a prompt to compare what is said with what is done, not a diagnosis of bad faith.

The Ace of Wands as an ex's intentions

Asked about an ex, the Ace of Wands as intentions can suggest a sudden impulse to reignite: a flash of the old attraction, a wish to make contact. I would read it as a flash. It may lead to a message. It is not a considered plan to try again. My guide to asking a psychic whether an ex will come back explains what a reading can and cannot say about that question.

The Ace of Wands as a new person's intentions

For someone new, this card is a good sign for a start: they intend to act on their interest, soon. Enjoy the energy. The person who tries to turn an Ace of Wands into a commitment on the first night usually puts it out.

What their intentions look like in action

Look for initiative: they suggest things, they move first, they are visibly keen. An Ace of Wands intention is easy to see and quick to pass. Whether it becomes more is answered in week three, not week one.

What to record before drawing again

Keep three short notes: the question you asked, what the person seems about to start, and what would have to be put on the spark to keep it going. The third note is the part the Ace does not cover.

For comparison, the Ace of Cups as intentions and the Knight of Wands as intentions describe different intentions. The the Ace of Wands card meaning page covers the card in full, and the Ace of Wands as timing and the Ace of Wands as a yes or no cover the other questions people most often ask of it. For a personal interpretation, my guide to a love psychic reading online explains how I work, and the three-card tarot listing and customer reviews are worth reading before deciding whether to order.